Left to right: Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy, NEMLEC Foundation Director Sharon Crowley, NEMLEC Foundation President Rich Raymond and Robert Faherty, Chairman of the Board of Cops For Kids With Cancer.

ANDOVER – The NEMLEC Police Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has donated a portion of its annual fundraising proceeds to Cops For Kids With Cancer. The Foundation made a special $5,000 donation to the organization, which donated it to the family of a 16-year-old boy from Andover who is fighting Leukemia.

On Oct. 30, representatives from the NEMLEC Foundation presented a check to Robert Faherty, Chairman of Cops For Kids With Cancer and retired Superintendent-in-Chief of the Boston Police Department, at an event at the Andover Police Department.

The money will go toward helping Andover resident Michael Harris, 16, and his parents Caren and Daniel Harris. Daniel has also battled cancer.

“We are proud to be able to support worthy causes like Cops For Kids With Cancer,” Rich Raymond, President of the NEMLEC Foundation said. “We always like to seize the opportunity to make a positive impact in someone’s life whenever possible.”

In addition to the $5,000 donation, the Andover Police Department provided gifts to the family and hosted a complimentary lunch for guests in attendance.

“It is an honor to be able to host this event to help one of our young residents who is battling cancer,” Andover Police Chief Patrick Keefe said. “This generous donation from the NEMLEC Foundation will help the family focus on recovering by lessening the financial burden associated with conquering this disease.”

The NEMLEC Police Foundation exists to promote and pursue training, education, research, projects, and programs that benefit municipal police agencies and their communities in Northeastern Massachusetts. It receives gifts, contributions, and grants from individual benefactors or private organizations and distributes those gifts to benefit cities and towns in its membership. Cops For Kids With Cancer is a regular benefactor of the Foundation’s yearly donations.

“We are very thankful for NEMLEC and appreciate their continued generosity and support,” Faherty said. “Our hope is to always ensure young children, like this resident from Andover, receive the support they need during a difficult time in their lives.”

About Cops For Kids With Cancer:In 2005, retired Boston Police Captain John Dow and his wife, Joan, wanted to find a way to support children with cancer who were being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital. Captain Dow, a cancer survivor, was sensitive to the needs of cancer patients and had a particular empathy for children undergoing difficult treatments. Soon after, the non-profit he founded, Cops For Kids With Cancer, began directing significant support to pediatric cancer patients at Massachusetts General Hospital. Cops For Kids With Cancer supports emergency assistance to families, events for patients and their families, and special “wishes” for teens, who are too old to be served by the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Captain Dow lost his battle with cancer in 2007, but his vision of supporting children and their families continues.

Former Boston Police Superintendent-in-Chief Robert Faherty served in the Boston Police Department from 1960 to 2000 and currently holds the role as the Chairman of the Board of Cops For Kids With Cancer.